Like they say, age doesn't matter
by gaarasgirl389
Summary: Year 2311. Man-made earthquake in Japan.A 5 year old girl found in the rubble of a illegal facility. Gaara and his friends have no idea how much one little girl can affect their lives. And Gaara's life will change when she reveals herself. GaaraxOC


**Author's note:**** All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Any other characters are all fictional and are made up. The names are all made up and not from real people.**

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><p><strong>Like they say, age doesn't matter<strong>

**Chapter 1**

_Year 2311 . . ._

_In a Japanese defence base . . ._

Beep. Beep.

"Sir, man-made earthquake detected in Sector 19! Earthquake scale 3.5!"

"Damage report?"

"Three towns in the area have their roads destroyed. Earthquake is mainly in a remote area. Damage is minimal."

"Bring on screen a satellite image of the area. I want to know who caused the earthquake."

"Image appearing on screen, sir."

The commander turned his eyes on the screen.

"That building. Who does it belong to?"

"Private owned by Lucius De Capri. He's one of the few rich foreigners in Japan that the government doesn't monitors."

"Damn foreigners. Well, he's on the government's monitoring list now. Send an investigation team with 3 fighting squads just in case. Oh, and a medic team to help if there are any innocents in that building."

"Sir, yes sir!"

_In Sector 19, 15 minutes later . . ._

"Spread out and search the area. Squad 1, help the medic team look through the rubble. I want to find survivors."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir, reporters have arrived."

"Damn media. Keep them at least 500 m away from here. This area has not been cleared as safe."

"Yes, sir."

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><p>"We bring you this news special as Japan was rocked by man-made earthquake. As you can see, Sector 19 has been damaged rather badly in this remote area. This building behind me has been utterly destroyed. Another warning that mankind should not mess with Mother Nature. This area is largely owned by Lucius De Capri, multimillionaire and Head of Japan's Research faculty for humans. Japan's security force is searching for the whereabouts of this man," The reporter in the TV reported.<p>

"Man, just when Japan's finished recovering from the last big earthquake, an idiot foreigner has to go and mess around and create earthquakes. Foreigners are so stupid," the blond young man said, watching the TV.

"Naruto! That's mean!" his fiancé said, behind him.

"Ok, ok. Not all foreigners. Just the stupid ones," Naruto apologised.

"Like yourself, you mean?" another young man with red fangs tattoo on his cheeks said.

"Oi!"

"Knock it off, you two! Kiba, you know very well, that Naruto has over 90% Japanese blood. Besides I'm trying to watch the news," a woman with four ponytails said.

"Yes, madam," they said meekly.

"Hey, look! They found someone!" Naruto's fiancé said, pointing at the TV.

"They found someone! From the looks of the body, it appears to be a small child!" the reporter exclaimed. The soldier behind her looked.

"Oh gods! What the hell's a child doing here?" he exclaimed. Medics immediately swarmed around the child's body, proceeding emergency procedures as fast as they could. After ten minutes, the child was rushed away by ambulance. Then more bodies were discovered.

"From what they're wearing, these must be doctors or scientists-" the reporter said.

"What the hell? Don't tell me it's another laboratory experimenting on people! Shit!" Naruto swore.

"It's the fifth one found in the last 3 years. But this time, it's someone from Britain whose responsible," Kiba commented.

"I wonder what they did to that child?" Naruto's fiancé asked.

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><p><em>In the ambulance . . .<em>

She opened her eyes. The surface was rocking the whole time, yet it felt somewhat familiar. She looked around.

Two adult women were working on each side of her. Machines monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure stood next to them. She closed her eyes only to open them sometime later, to find herself in a white hospital room.

A nurse, who was in the room, saw that she was awake. She spoke to her in Japanese, but the language had changed in a way. The girl didn't respond, she just stared at the nurse blankly.

The nurse went to the corridor and called for the doctor to come quickly.

_Back in the Japanese security base . . ._

"What's the news?" the commander asked.

"Shikaku, sir, we have managed to find five people in the rubble. One is a small girl, who's in the hospital right now as she was hurt a bit. The other four are scientists."

"Another experimental facility?"

"We are questioning the scientists right now, sir."

"Report as soon as more news comes in."

"Yes, sir."

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><p><em>Hospital . . .<em>

"Has she responded to anything yet?"

"No, Sakura-sama. She just stares at us. It's . . . kinda creepy."

"It could be shock from what she experienced in Sector 19," Sakura said, more to herself than the nurses. She opened the girl's medical chart. Her eyebrows rose at the unusual amounts of chemicals in the girl's blood test.

"Did someone give her some medication?"

"No. Her injuries were not considered to be very painful and since painkillers could harm her more than help her, we haven't given her any of those either."

"So these chemicals must be from the place she was found? Hmm, whose squad found her?"

"Shikaku's team, madam."

Sakura nodded and head over to the phone in the hallway. She dialled a number.

"Doctor Sakura, to speak to Commander Shikaku. Yes, I'll wait," Sakura said wearily. She waited a minute.

"Shikaku-san? Yes, I'm calling about the girl your medic team brought here. I think that she may have been used as an experiment as her blood tests show unusually high chemicals. I don't know if they've done anything to her yet as no symptoms have appeared. But she seems to be in great shock."

"_You are absolutely certain? Hold on. . . My team have finished interrogating the scientists and have confirmed that the facility was indeed used to experiment on humans. But one of the scientists said something strange. She said, that the girl we found, they had yet to test her on anything as their boss considered her too valuable to experiment on yet. And also about the girl waking up for the first time in years. I think she may have meant to say a long time. That girl, how old is she?"_

"Looks to be about 5 years old. Maybe she was in a coma or something? Hmm, I need to investigate more into this. I'll call you if I find something." Sakura said and hung up. _Why did she say years? The girl must have been sick or something right from her birth or something. Maybe those chemicals in her blood are to prevent her from getting any more ill. But they seem familiar to me somehow. I'll go ask Ino._

"Nurse, call Ino for me."

Fifteen minutes later, a long, blond haired young woman arrived.

"Ino, come check this out. This girl was brought from Sector 19, from that facility that created that earthquake. Her blood test results show her to have these chemicals in her. They seem familiar yet I just can't put my finger on what. Also Shikaku said that one of the scientists they interrogated said that this was the first time 'in years' the girl had awaken although we think she might have meant 'in a long time'," Sakura said, handing Ino the medical chart. Ino scanned the list. A frown appeared on her forehead.

"Could it be-?" she said softly. Sakura looked at her, curious.

"What?"

"Sakura, send some of her blood over to the genetics department. Also, get someone to find out who she might be. I need to talk to Shikaku," Ino commanded. She walked over to the same hallway phone Sakura had used earlier and dialled the same number.

"Doctor Ino, to Commander Shikaku. I don't care if he's busy. Tell him it's an emergency."

Ino waited as the other side relayed her message.

"_You had better have a good excuse, Ino."_

"It concerns that girl you found. Can you send me photos of the place she was found?"

"_Fine. But just how does this qualify as an emergency?"_

"If I'm correct, this could really destroy that guy's career."

"_Alright, photos have been sent to your personal cell phone. And what can destroy a guy's career more than what we've already found?"_

"Hang on," Ino said as she flipped through the photos. She nearly thought she was wrong after the first twenty photos when she found what she was looking for. The place the girl had been found had broken glass with a few tubes sticking out of the rubble. Sakura walked up to her.

"No data can be found on the girl. I searched everywhere on the net, I even asked Sai and he can't find anything on the restricted areas of information."

Ino nodded. "Shikaku-san, I believe that the girl may have been in cold sleep for years. It could be she had some kind of disease that had no cure back then and was put in cold sleep to keep her alive. That guy probably found her and thought he could do something to her. I need to find out how old she really is and maybe then we'll be able to trace back in her past to what year she was born."

"_Do your best."_ Shikaku said and hung up.

"Are you certain, Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Pretty much. The glass and tubes found near her, the chemicals in her blood, they all point out to her being in cold sleep. I suggest you check out what could be wrong with her. The sooner we find out, the sooner we can find the cure." Ino said and walked off in the direction of the genetics department.

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><p><em>Back at Naruto's house . . .<em>

The door opened and a guy wearing black leather clothes walked in. Kiba and Naruto looked up from the TV.

"Yo, Gaara!" Naruto called out.

"Have you seen the news?" Kiba asked as Gaara nodded to Naruto.

"No, why?"

"There's been an earthquake in Sector 19 and they found a girl in the rubble. She's in the hospital that Sakura and Ino work in," Naruto said. Gaara looked at the TV and nodded to show he was listening.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" the four ponytailed woman asked.

"Matsuri. I thought you had a talk with her about leaving me alone, Temari," Gaara said, rubbing his forehead. Temari shook her head.

"Again? Are you sure you won't date her?" she asked. Gaara glared at her. "Ok, ok. Just confirming. I'll call to her right now and talk to her." She walked over to the phone. It ringed.

"Hello? Oh, Sakura. How's- wait, what? Tell Hinata to make space for another bed in the house? Sakura, who are you bringing? Shikaku told you what? Hey, wait a minute! You're not answering my questions or making any sense! OI!" Temari exclaimed as she heard the sound of a busy line on the phone. She stared at the phone. "She hung up on me. What's her hurry? Hinata, help me find something we can use to make a bed. Oh and Gaara, hurry and get to the hospital's fire exit as quickly as possible. Sakura wants you to pick her and Ino up fast."

"What's going on?" Gaara asked, getting up. Temari shrugged.

"Beats me."

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><p><em>At the hospital . . .<em>

"Hurry, Sakura! This bag should be big enough. What did Temari say?" Ino asked, grabbing a big sports bag.

"I didn't give her a chance to say anything. Damn, Shikaku could have given us a quicker warning!" Sakura swore.

"He was trying. But I don't think even he would have guessed that that bastard, Lucius, would come after the hospital to get back the girl. Should we take something with us for her?" Ino asked. Sakura shook her head. "Let's go then."

The hospital was in chaos as doctors and nurses tried to evacuate the hospital. Sakura and Ino ignored them as they opened the door to the girl's room. It was empty except for the girl lying in the bed, turning her head to stare at them.

"You're in danger. But don't worry. We're here to help you, ok?" Ino said. The girl continued to stare at her. Ino felt a little uneasy. She looked at Sakura.

"You need to get in the bag. It's the only way to get you out of here without anyone noticing," Sakura said to the girl. The girl looked at her. Sakura's cell ringed.

"Yes?"

"_Get out of there, NOW! He's arrived!"_ Shikaku said and hung up.

"Crap, Lucius is here," Sakura exclaimed. The girl's eyes widen and she quickly climbed into the bag. Sakura zipped it up but left it slightly open so the girl could breathe. Then she and Ino walked out into the deserted corridor and head towards the fire exit. They opened the door and then heard a yell of frustration coming from the girl's room. The girl in the bag, wiggled in fright. Sakura calmed her down, rushing down the stairs with Ino behind. A hover car pulled up. They rushed towards it and climbed in.

"Drive!" Ino commanded. Gaara drove out of there fast.

"What exactly is going on?" he asked, looking at them in the mirror. Sakura was about to reply when the bag's zip ripped and the girl sat up, gasping. Gaara stared at them.

"You kidnapped a kid from the hospital?"

"No, this is the girl from Sector 19. That guy, Lucius, is after her. Shikaku told us to take her home and keep her safe," Ino said. The girl looked around and then climbed out of the bag.

"I think we have someone following us." Sakura said, looking through the back window. Her phone ringed.

"Shikaku-san? Yes, we got her out. You don't have someone trailing us, do you?"

"_No. Lucius escaped. He's probably following you. Who's driving?"_

"Gaara is. He'll get us home safe."

Sakura ended the call. Gaara looked at her through the mirror again.

"Hope you know how to get him off our tails," Sakura commented. Gaara sighed.

"Fasten your seat belts."

The car stopped in front of a house on the edges of Tokyo. The girl watched as the three people stepped out of the car. The pink haired lady held her hand out. She grabbed it and climbed out of the car. They lead her inside the house. Inside, she saw five more people.

"Glad you're safe," a guy with black hair said. Ino smiled at him.

"You brought a kid? Hold on, isn't she the one-" Temari asked.

"Yeah, she's the one from Sector 19." They all looked at her. The girl looked at them blankly. She was getting used to the different sound of the Japanese language.

"Well, does she have a name?" the black haired guy asked. The girl stared at him.

"No, we couldn't find anything out about her. Hey," Sakura said, kneeling down and looking at the girl, "What's your name?"

"She's a foreigner. Maybe she doesn't understand Japanese?" Ino asked.

"Oh, brilliant idea. _What is your name? __**What is your name? **_**What is your name?** Ok, I give up," Kiba said, after trying English, Chinese and Korean. They looked at him.

"You only tried out THREE languages!" Temari yelled.

The girl just stared at them.

"You know, isn't she a bit creepy?" Naruto said. Sakura hit him on the head.

"Don't insult her! She's terrified," Sakura shouted at him.

"I think she's right now terrified of both you and Temari," Gaara said. The girl still stared at them.

"Hang on. I have an idea. Here, write your name," the black haired guy said, handing the little girl a pen and paper. She took them, stared at it and then wrote.

"She understands!" Kiba exclaimed. Ino hit him on the head. "Yeow! What was that for?"

"That sounded rather insulting," Ino answered.

"So what has she written?" Temari asked. They bend closer to see.

"Umi. So your name is Umi!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Well done, Sai," Sakura said. Then a growling could be heard. They looked around.

"Kiba, please tell me Akamaru doesn't have a problem with her," Temari said. Kiba whistled and a big, white dog ran up to him. The dog saw Umi and sniffed her.

"Guess it's not him. So what is it?" Sai said. Umi looked at them all and waved her arms. They looked at her in surprise. She pointed at her stomach and it growled. They sweat dropped.

"For a small girl, your stomach sure is loud," Naruto said, kneeling down to talk to her. Hinata held out her hand.

"Come on, let's go get you some food to eat, ok?"

Umi took her hand and Hinata walked to the kitchen. Sai's cell phone rang.

"Yes? That's right. What's the-? . . . You're joking, right? Alright, I understand. Goodbye," Sai said quietly. They looked at him, curiosity on their faces.

"Who was that?" Ino asked.

"The genetics department. They just finished analysing Umi's blood and . . ." Sai hesitated.

"And what?" Sakura asked.

"Umi's blood test shows that she's over one hundred years old."

"WHAT?"

"But isn't that impossible? The genetics team have searched all of the cold sleep facilities and have awaken all of the sleeping people. There shouldn't be anyone still in cold sleep from one hundred years ago!" Ino exclaimed.

"You're right. There isn't."

"What do you mean then, Sai?" Sakura asked.

"The genetics team couldn't exactly pinpoint how long ago she was in cold sleep for. Which means she's much older than one hundred years old," Sai explained.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>** Well, I had this story stuck in my head for the past 2 days and I just HAD to write it. Please tell me whether you like and what you think might happen and any ideas you have.**


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